Determination has always been Jude Lally's middle name. Whether on the Little League baseball field in elementary school, on the football gridiron in middle school or on the wrestling mat in high school, he always gave it his all. But halfway through high school, at the age of 16, Jude was handed his biggest challenge of all when he was diagnosed with a rare genetic degenerative progressive neuromuscular disease called Friedreich's Ataxia. Daily living as he had known it changed forever. There were new obstacles to overcome, and overcome he did, as two years later he became a proud high school graduate. But he didn't stop there. Five years later he also became a college graduate when he received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. But as reality set in and the likelihood of landing a job seemed out of reach, Jude turned to his love of writing to help him cope. While talking about his struggles didn't come easy for him, writing about them did. He cultivated that need to write by joining a writers' group that met weekly in Lexington, Kentucky. That's where he met his future publisher Katerina Stoykova of Accents Publishing. In With the Old Out With the New is Jude's third collection of poems published by Accents Publishing. As in The View From Down Here, published in 2010, and I'm Fine But Thanks for Asking, published in 2012, Jude's unique way with words, combined with a sprinkling of Irish wit passed down from his late father, will have you both laughing and crying at the same time if you're not careful! One of Jude's favorite sayings is "The last person you want to be is no one." Being able to share his thoughts and words not only makes him feel like someone but is also a way to shine the light on disabilities and those living with them every day. Jude currently lives with his Mom and Stepdad near Nashville, Tennessee.
